ALUMNI CONNECTIONS

At Memorial University, we see students and alumni learn and grow and they inspire the Memorial community to learn and grow with them. The three alumni featured here are accomplishing incredible things. Mark set out to solve a problem for himself and now has Olympic athletes using his product. Mirella never would have guessed her desire to study oceanography would lead to the development of an app. And Santiago is using the theatre to affect societal change. We are proud of all of our alumni, each one finding their way in the world, and bringing change with them.

– LISA BROWNE (BA’91, MBA’93), VICE PRESIDENT (ADVANCEMENT AND EXTERNAL RELATIONS)

Mark Coombs (BA’12)

At 31 years old, Mark Coombs (BA’12) sleeps like a baby. As the CEO and co-founder of Sleepout: Portable Blackout Curtains, his rest wasn’t always so restful.

“I’ve always been light-sensitive and I need a variety of solutions to darken rooms. My insomnia worsened during the pandemic to a horrible point, in part because we had moved to a new apartment with bright windows. We invented a portable curtain to solve our own problems, but quickly realized that many others would benefit from it.” Mr. Coombs works with his partner Hannah Brennen.

What sets these curtains apart is a patent-pending design that allows them to be attached, adjusted and removed from any window. The product is effective enough that ten Team Canada Olympic athletes travelled to the Games with a Sleepout Curtain in their suitcase.

Mr. Coombs credits his time at Memorial for instilling in him a love of learning.

“I had incredible professors who believed in me and asked that I take on intellectually challenging work.” He names Drs. Amanda Bittner, Russell Williams, Alex Marland and Kelly Blidook in the Department of Political Science. “Staying in residence in Paton College was a bonus and I still have great friendships from that time,” he added.

At the top of his mind for the future is the environment and technology.

“Our mission is to develop simple and innovative products, while helping the environment. We work with the Eden Project to plant one tree per product sold to offset our carbon emissions. Our hope is that consumers will continue to care about supporting businesses that are doing good for the world.”

With that vision in mind, Mark Coombs isn’t the only one who will sleep well.

Mirella Leis (M.Sc.’16)

No matter where she lives, Mirella Leis (M.Sc.’16) is invigorated by the sea.

In Brazil, she grew up watching small-scale fishers come back to the beach, bringing the day’s catch, and women in the community gutting and filleting the fish, selling it as fresh as it gets.

“Not only did that give me access to local, fresh fish, but also to the stories of those who caught and processed what I was about to eat. It taught me a way to connect with people and learn to care for the ocean we all depend on,” she said.

After completing her master’s degree and working at Memorial as part of research projects about small-scale fisheries and ocean governance, she applied for a volunteer program for Canadian youth called Ocean Bridge.

Here, she dreamed up the Fish Market mobile app, which facilitates a direct sale between fishers and local consumers, increasing fishers’ negotiation power while contributing to food sovereignty. Consumers can also connect with fishers, increasing their access to locally caught seafood, while contributing to the fisheries’ sustainability.

“I had the mentorship and funding that allowed me to finally make my idea a reality! The app prototype was developed as part of the program where I now work as a program specialist, mentoring other youth. I hope to one day soon make the app available to everyone!”

Ms. Leis is grateful for the connections she made at Memorial.

“Oceanography took me on a path as broad and deep as the ocean itself,” she said. “My career has taken me on paths I could not have imagined as the 17 year old who decided she wanted to study the ocean.”

Santiago Guzmán (BFA’19) 

Through his powerful theatrical work and artistic endeavours, Santiago Guzmán (BFA’19) is not afraid to tackle the implications of colonialism.

Since his time at Grenfell Campus, he has made several splashes in the local and national arts communities, with the ultimate goal of making change.

“After the re-spark of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, I held the theatre program accountable for their lack of work in matters of equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility while I attended university,” he said. “All of this with the hopes of helping to foster a safer, kinder, exciting place for students like me, who would come to study theatre even after I was gone.”

His career has grown exponentially – a product of his hard work, passion and dedication to his craft. While at Grenfell, he also worked as a professional artist with Rising Tide Theatre. A couple of weeks before convocation, he toured across the island in White Rooster Theatre’s production of Meghan Greeley’s play, Hunger.

“Some projects that I am really proud of are my one-person show ALTAR, which follows the journey of a young, queer immigrant person dealing with heartbreak. It received a main stage production by the Resource Centre for the Arts last fall, and now we’re planning school and national tours. As well, We Are Here is a short-form TV show with Bell Fibe TV1 that focuses on six immigrant communities in Newfoundland and Labrador in the first season, and we’re currently developing season two. Mona Lisa is a play I wrote for the project #Plays2Perform@Home, produced by Vancouver-based company Boca Del Lupo. And my short film Te Quiero was produced by Blue Pinion Films.”

Mr. Guzmán is a force and he is fearless. He is challenging barriers in a predominantly white, English-speaking and heteronormative theatre community, and he is just getting started.